What is the first
thing you thought of upon seeing the picture prompt for the Make Believe
Anthology?

That I needed to alter
my story a little? Ha!

Okay, fess up time: I
actually already had the inkling of a storyline in my head from the moment I
was asked to front the anthology—at which point I hadn’t seen the picture
prompt. So then, when the picture prompt came through, I realized I had some
tweaking to do to try and incorporate the image into the story in my head.

Which came first: The
story or the character?

Definitely the
character. I had Cole, my MC in my head, and I knew she’d be booking an escort
for the night—enter Benjamin Gold—but I had no idea at this point what her
reasons for booking one would be, just that some crazy stuff would end up
happening and the evening wouldn’t go exactly as planned/expected. So I opened
up a Doc, started typing, ended up with an opening scene that I could work with
and that gave me a decent feel for the MC, then wandered off and left it to
stew. By the time I returned to it, I had a clearer feel for where it was
headed—though I did get so far through, decide I didn’t like where I’d taken
the characters, and so deleted around 2000 words and altered their course. I
got it how I wanted in the end, though. J

How did you choose
your setting?

My settings are usually
chosen by picking whichever English county takes my fancy, and then creating a
fictional town/village and venues and planting them down in there—that way, I
can write the scenes however I need them to be without totally angering the
locals with my lack of accuracy.

Is there a moral
behind your story?

Yes! Booking an escort
is a baaaaaad idea! Ha!

Nah, I’m just kidding.
It’s more like: everyone has an inner strength; sometimes a person has to be
put to the test before they look deep enough within to find their own.

What was your favorite
food when you were a child?

When I was allowed to make my own sandwiches for
school (usually when my parents were still in bed and couldn’t see what I was
getting up to), I’d first smother my bread in ketchup instead of margarine,
then place millimeter-thick slices of cheese on there, and then meticulously
slice pickled onions to layer over the cheese. Looking back, I can’t believe
nobody ever complained about my breath, lol.

What is your favorite
body part?

O_O

You mean my own? Or in general? I think pretty
much the entire rear end of a bloke is the ultimate eye candy (if they’re
fairly toned)—from his shoulders, down over his blades, to the small in his
back just above where they nearly always have twin dimples to lead the way to
their arse … Nom. ;)

As for my own? Dude! I dunno. I have nice
clavicles?

If you could choose to
stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

30. I’d had my kids but I didn’t look so much
like I had had kids. ;)

If you won the
lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

Probably cry. Then scream. Then have a heart
attack. *snort*

If you could be any
fictional character, who would you choose?

Merit from the Chicagoland Vampires series. But
not forever. Just for the good bits. Ha!

What would you name
the autobiography of your life?

Do You Have Any Syrup To Go With That Waffle?
(<<all thanks to Aimee Laine

Look out for it, guys! Coming to a store near
you soon! *snicker*

What did you do
growing up that got you into trouble?

Where I grew up was not only on the edge of the
town where I lived, but also on the edge of our village within that town. And
walking around 80 yards to around the corner would take me to a view of nothing
but farmers’ fields. From there, walking a little ways right would take me to
the road to the countryside, as well as to the entrance to Langley Mill.

Langley Mill wasn’t the kind of place parents
wanted their kids hanging around. Naturally, I tended to go there quite a bit.
I was never very good at concealing it, though—especially when I’d turn up with
a bucket of frogspawn I’d caught. ;)

What is something you
learned in school that you think is useless to you today?

Algebra.

I mean, dude, come on … what
was the point?

If you could move
anywhere, where would you go and why?

I’d move into The Rectory—a house I’ve seen for
sale in Pembrokeshire (but way out of my price range, lol).

Why? Well, it’s just so serene and peaceful.
Whilst there are only a handful of other properties on the lane, the Rectory
has a high stone wall surrounding it, with a circling brook that you need to
drive through to hit the driveway, and the neighbor opposite is a traditional
church. To the rear of the property is a matted woodland and a couple of fields
… Do I need to say more?

Can you keep secrets?
Describe a time you didn't.

Yes! *Nods head*

What do you mean, describe a time I didn’t?
(Psst, I can’t fess up to those. My friends might read this. Ha!)